Breaking With Tradition, N.Y. Budget Arrives on Deadline

The New York legislature completed deliberations on a budget last
week only one day into the state's new financial year--close enough for
lawmakers to claim an on-time finish and ample enough to earn cheers
from education advocates pleased with the prospect of a year without
state-aid cuts.

Completion of the budget was a welcome departure from the lengthy
deadlocks that in recent years have increasingly lingered past the
statutory April 1 deadline and in recent months have meant sizable
funding cuts as well.

Lawmakers last week approved a $56.5-billion state budget that will
provide $8.55 billion for elementary and secondary schools--a
$79-million increase from last year's level and a far cry from the $704
million in cuts ordered since December 1990.

"Given the fiscal realities of this year, we have to say we're
pleased,'' noted Bill J. Pape, communications director for the New York
State School Boards Association. "For school districts, no one is
getting any extra money, but at least we'll be no worse off than last
year.''

After lengthy debate, the budget plan managed to avoid $240 million
in education cuts that had been recommended by Gov. Mario M. Cuomo. The
small rise in education funding was made possible in part by a
last-minute decision to "sell'' the parking lot of a Queens racetrack
from one quasi-public board to another, thus generating about $50
million.

In the budget battle, public K-12 education proved more resilient
than most other state programs, including higher education, which are
slated for further cuts.

The budget plan guarantees that no school district will lose more
than 2 percent of last year's state-aid level.

As the result of 11th-hour wrangling over the bill, most of the new
education funding will be funneled to upstate school districts. New
York City and its suburban neighbors, on the other hand, appear the
most likely to see reductions.

Continuing Pressures Seen

While accepting the overall budget, some education lobbyists held
out hope that subsequent changes might yet hold all districts
harmless.

"We're still fighting to assure that no district in the state gets
less than it did last year,'' said Linda Rosenblatt, a spokesman for
the New York State United Teachers union.

For many who were examining the plan last week, the bill was more
noteworthy for what was salvaged from cuts rather than what was won in
new funding.

Programs that managed to escape the chopping block ranged from
school-health demonstrations to higher-education aid. The bill also
would provide continued appropriations of $5 million for
teacher-resource and computer-training centers and nearly $7 million
for a teacher-opportunity corps.

Further, the bill estimates a $50-million savings to districts by
reaching an agreement that would allow them to seek Medicaid
reimbursements for some supplemental services provided to handicapped
students.

Not all funding requests, however, made the legislature's list. A
$30 million request by the state education department to speed
implementation of revamped assessments, new academic standards, and an
incentive program for improved school achievement was left unfunded.
Officials last week were also working to determine how budget cuts
might affect the department's staffing and operation.

One key benefit of the almost-on-time budget is that it will provide
local school administrators more time to prepare budgets and mount
campaigns for local voter approval of tax levies later this spring.

Observers predicted, however, that districts will continue to face
heavy pressures despite the slight increases for many in state aid.

More than half of the teachers affiliated with the N.Y.S.U.T., the
state's largest teachers' union, are currently working without a
contract, for example. Mr. Pape of the school-boards association said
that rising expenses and anticipated salary hikes will create strains
in a number of districts.

"They are still behind the eight ball,'' he said.

"It won't be as dire as it could have been,'' added Ms. Rosenblatt
of the teachers' union. "But the pressure will continue.''

Vol. 11, Issue 29, Page 17

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